Do you think Ohio's race for governor is overrated? Share your thoughts below.

As we dig out from snow and await the primary filing deadline, we look at another take on the Buckeye State’s importance in 2014. We check in on a few personnel moves in the Kasich and FitzGerald administrations. And we remember John Ryan’s transition from labor to politics days. Here’s the never overrated Ohio Politics Roundup.

And wouldn’t you know it, Ohio’s gubernatorial battle between Republican incumbent John Kasich and Democrat Ed FitzGerald makes the list. The contest is lumped in with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s re-election campaign, as “both have a lot in common.”

Sabato and Kondik write:

Both men were first elected in 2010 as part of the GOP tsunami; they both had rocky first years in office defined by battles with labor; they continue to enrage their opponents; and if they win, they both could be presidential candidates in 2016. Oh, and they both have excellent chances of winning reelection in 2014, contrary to what might be reported elsewhere. We suspect polls will remain somewhat close in these races until the end, but it’s hard to see their Democratic opponents, Ed FitzGerald (Ohio) and Mary Burke (Wisconsin), getting to the statehouse.

Team FitzGerald fired back as links to the Politico piece spread Tuesday night on Twitter. Here’s campaign manager Nick Buis:

At any rate, the Ohio race continues to generate a decent share of Politico coverage, though not the greatest for FitzGerald, perhaps underscoring Sabato and Kondik’s point.

And who’s that again mentioning Kasich this morning as a potential White House prospect – a notion that only works if he wins re-election? Yep, that would be Politico.

Looking at this list from The Fix, the Washington Post’s politics blog, you could argue that Ohio is rated appropriately. No one’s ever really considered it among the Top 5 gubernatorial contests in the country this year. The Fix consistently has placed the race toward the bottom of its Top 10, and it has sound reasoning for explaining why.

The fundamentals of the race may strongly favor Kasich right now, so it’s no surprise that states such as Florida, Pennsylvania and even Maine are going to get more national love. But if polls continue to show Ohio being a single-digit race, it will remain in the Top 10, especially with factors such as Kasich’s future adding another interesting angle.

Deadline day

A reminder that 4 p.m. today is the filing deadline for the May 6 primary.

The rest of the Democratic and Republican slates have been set for some time now, though Secretary of State Jon Husted made sure to officially announce his re-election campaign Monday via email. His Democratic opponent in the fall is likely to be Nina Turner, the state senator from Cleveland also known for frequent MSNBC appearances.

Here’s how the rest of the ballot looks, assuming no major primary challengers emerge:

Attorney General Mike DeWine vs. David Pepper

State Treasurer Josh Mandel vs. State Rep. Connie Pillich

State Auditor Dave Yost vs. State Rep. John Patrick Carney

All of the incumbents are Republicans. All of the Democratic challengers have been endorsed by the Ohio Democratic Party. It’s likely a few fringe candidates will surface here or there, but there’s been little chatter about a major primary fight erupting.

Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health, is leaving the Kasich administration at the end of the month. Joe Vardon of the Columbus Dispatch notes that Wymyslo, who is returning to private practice, has been at the center of the fight over abortion clinics that aren’t meeting new state regulations Kasich signed into law.

That fight, by the way, is spilling over into the race for governor. Democrats see the election as a referendum of sorts on the abortion clinic measure and other budget items they see as an attack on women’s health. Here’s my Tuesday analysis on the strategy.

FitzGerald watch

The county executive wants to stick with Mark Parks, the former county treasurer, as fiscal officer, reports Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Andrew J. Tobias.

The quote from Council President C. Ellen Connally raises an interesting question: With FitzGerald a lame-duck – he can’t seek re-election this year while running for governor – how does that affect other county decisions, especially with regard to personnel?

On this day in 2006

The Plain Dealer reports: “John Ryan, head of the Cleveland AFL-CIO Federal of Labor, is taking some time off to work in the Democratic senatorial campaign of longtime ally Sherrod Brown, seven-term U.S. representative from Avon.”

Brown won that Senate seat – and re-election in 2012. He recently moved from the Lorain County suburb into Cleveland proper. And Ryan, while remaining close to organized labor, did not return to the AFL-CIO. He has been a top Brown aide ever since.

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